Refrigerator-car



(No Model.)

P. 0; NISSEN. REFRIGERATOR GAR.

N0. 280,224. Patented 1111161 26, 1883.

n. PEYERS. Pholo-Ulhngrapher, Washington. ac.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER G. NISSEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

REFRIGERATOR-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 280,224, dated June 26,1883,

Application filed April 9, 1883. (No model.) Y

dent of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in RefrigeratonG/ars, ofwhich I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My present invention has relation to the improvement of cars which areprovided with one or more ice-chambers and with one or morestorage-chambers, wherein a lowtemperature is constantly maintained, andwhich are thereby especially adapted to the preservation andtransportation of meats, fish, fruits, and other perishable articles offood.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved construction andarrangement of ice-chambers and coldair-delivery fines or conduits,whereby a very low temperature may be more effectually maintained in thestoragechamber 5 and this object I have accomplished by the improvementshereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, andparticularly defined in the claims at the end of this'specification.

Figure l is a horizontal section cutting through the lower portion ofthe end iceboxes. Fig. 2is avertical longitudinal section through thecenter of the car. Fig. '3 is a vertical transverse section. Fig. 4 is asectional view in perspective, taken through one of the endice-chambers, the cold-air-delivery conduits being shown in projection.Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the valves for the air-inductionports. I

The Walls of the car-body are preferably double, and may be left hollow,or, if desired, may be lined or packed in any approved manner withnon-conducting material, such as felt, sawdust, and the like.

- The main portion of the car consists of the storage-chamber A, inwhich the meats or other provisions are kept. In the ends of the car,and in substantially the positions shown, are placed the ice-chambers B,which are preferably sheet-n1etal tanks having perforated or open-workbottoms b, beneath which are the conduits b, which communicate with theairinduction conduits O, that extend through the ends of the car, andare there furnished with the register-valves OL, These valves 0 consisteach of a plate, 0, having thereon athreaded sleeve, 0, through whichpasses the threaded end of the valve-rod (Y that extends to the top ofthe car, and is there provided with a suitable hand-wheel for operatingthe valve. By means of these valves and their rods is controlled theamount of air delivered to the ice chambers B. The bottom of eachconduit 2/ is furnished with the lip or rib I)", thus forn1- ing beneatheach icecha-n1ber a drip-pan, from which the water is led away bythe-drippipe I)". The top of the inner wall, I), of each of theicechambers Bis cut away, as shown at If, to allow the air, afterpassing up through the ice, to enter the broad air-delivery conduit D,the outer wall of which is formed by the bent metal plate (1, thatextends to the roof of the car, and the inner wall of which is formed bythe side I) of the ice-chamber B and the bottom of the conduit b. To theend (1 of each of the conduits D is connected a series of bentextensions or delivery-conduits, D, which pass between the end walls ofthe car and terminate in the extensions D", located in the floor of thebottom.

The extensions D of the conduits leading from each of the ice-chambers Bextend to a point near the opposite end of the car, and these wetensions are preferably arranged alternately in the bottom, as shown,and are provided with discharge openings (1 lying beneath corre spondingopenings in the ear-floor, that are covered by suitable gratings. Abovethe ice chambers '13 are the doors D, for the delivery of ice to thechambers. In the roof of the car, and leading from the storagechamber,is placed the ventilator D having a suitable valve, (1

through which the air escapes from the storage-chamber as it becomesheated.

From the construction of parts as thus far defined, it will be seen thatthe air, entering through the induction-conduit in regulated quantity,passes upward through the spaces between the ice, andthence down thedeliveryconduit D and through its extensions D and is discharged throughthe openings in the floor of the storage-chamber. By its passagebeneath, through, and around the ice-chambers, the temperature of theincoming air is greatly reduced, and as the .air in the upper part ofthe conduits D is of a greater specific gravity than that in thestorage-chamber, as it dechamber.

cease i.

scends through the conduits, it forces the cold air to rise in suchchamber. The ai r thus rising contacts with the meats or otherprovisions and becomes heated thereby, and gradually escapes through theventilator in the roof of the car.

Beneath the roof of the car, and extending between the ice-chambers B,or, if desired, from end to end of the car, is formed the topice-chamber, E, the bottom 0 of which is preferably double-inclined andof sheet metal, and is provided centrally at its end with a suitabledrippipe, a. 011 each side of this ice-chamher are the air-induction.ports E, provided with suitable valves, E to control the supply of air,and from each side also extend the coldair-delivery conduits F, thatpass down the side of the car and terminate in extensions F, havingdischargeopenings similar to those in the extensions D in the bottom ofthe storage- In the roof of the car, above the ice-chamber E, are formedthe doors 0 for delivery of ice thereto. The operation of this part ofmy invention is as follows: The ventilators upon one side of the car areclosed, and

air admitted in regulated. quantity through those of the opposite sidepasses over and through the ice, descends through the conduits F, and isdischarged through the openings in the extensions F.

By placing the ice-chambers in the elevated positions shown a highercolumn of cold air is secured in each of the delivery-conduits, andconsequently a better circulation in the storagechamber is obtained thanwould be possible were the ice-chambers upon a lower level; Moreover, bythe arrangement of inductionpipes shown, a supply of fresh air purifiedby passage up through the ice is secured. The delivery of the cold airto the bottom of the storagechamber and its upward circulation will befound of especial advantage in the preservation of quarters of beefsuspended from the top, as the coldest air is thus first delivered tothe part of the meat most liable to spoil.

It will be understood, of course, that some of the features of thisinvention can be used independently ofthe others, or in connection withrefrigerator-cars of other construction, and that the details ofconstruction may be varied without departing from the scope of theimprove ments. Thus, for example, the ice-chambers at the ends of thecar may be used in. some cases without that in the top, or vice versa,and the precise number and arrangement of the con duits that deliver theair to the bot-tom of the storage-chamber may also be varied.

I regard as the scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

I have therefore defined in the following claims what 1. In arefrigerator-car, the combination, with an elevated icechamber, of acold-air-delivery conduit or conduits leading from the ice-chamberto thebottom of the storage-chant ber, and there provided with extensionshaving openings for the discharge of cold air up through the floor ofthe storage-chamber, substantially as described.

2. A refrigeratorcar having a storage-chanr ber provided with aventilator for discharge of air, an elevated ice-chamber withfresh-airinduction ports, and air-delivery conduits F, extending fromsaid ice-chamber to the floor of the car, said conduits being arrangedsub stantially as set forth, whereby a supply of fresh cold air ismaintained in the storage chamber, substantially as described.

& refrigerator-car having a storagechamber, an elevated ice-chamber withperforated or open-w0rk bottom, an airinduction conduit below saidice-chamber, communicating with the outer air, and an air-deliveryconduit or conduits leading from the top of said icechamber to thebottom of the storagechamber and discharging therein, substantially asde scribed.

i. A refrigerator-car having astorage-chamber, an elevated ice-chamberat each end of the car, provided with a perforated or openwork bottom,an air-induction conduit below the bottom, communicatingwith the outerair, and air-delivery conduits extending down the sides and beneath saidice-chambers and along the bottom of the storage-chamber, and thereprovided with dischargeopenings, substantially as described.

5. In a refrigerator-car, the combination, with the storage-chamberhaving a ventilator, of an ice-chamber having a perforated or openworkbottom, an air-conduit below said bottom, communicating with the outerair and provided with a valve, and an air-delivery conduit extendingfrom the top of the ice-chamber down its sides and beneaththeair-induction conduit, and terminating in perforated sections locatedin the bottom of the storagechamber, substantially as described.

6. A refrigerator-car havinga storage-chamber, above which is anice-chamber with cold air-discharge conduits F, and at the ends of whichare ice-chambers with cold-air-discharge conduits D and D leadingtherefrom along the bottom of the storage-chamber, and adapted todischarge cold fresh air into said chamber, substantially as described.

PETER CHE. NISSEN.

\Vitn esses: I i

GEORGE l. FIsHEn, Jr., JosEPH O. MoRRrs.

